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Healthy Hair and Skin from the Inside

Posted on by Michelle

Recent twist and curl style

I am pretty happy with my hair recently and am feeling like things are getting back to normal. By that I mean I was having some issues with dry, flaky scalp followed up by a month or two with heavy shedding. Both issues are finally getting under control so I have been uploading to my YouTube channel more often with hair tutorials. Before now though it was so frustrating to do anything with my hair because I almost felt like there was no point. The flakes made it look so bad that I didn’t even want to go out some days.

One of the things that I think helped was that I started working on my immune system to help get my skin under control. I have psoriasis and I have known for a while now that the inflammation in my skin is because of something not quite right with my immune system. When the psoriasis flared up I started introducing probiotics into my system by eating a serving of Activia yogurt each day. This helped with digestion and made it possible for my body to absorb my supplements better. After doing that for 2-3 weeks I decided to go back to a more effective multi-vitamin formulated for women. It costs more but has proved to be much better for my body than the usual store brands.

CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL MITCHELLZEE HERE

So happy my scalp is finally clearing up

I also added some supplements to my daily routine like garlic, super B-Complex and vitamin E. The garlic helped with the shedding and didn’t start working right away but I can tell that I am shedding fewer hairs per wash session now. I would say it took about a 3-4 weeks before it started to make a difference. The B-Complex contains biotin and I can see that it is helping my nails so hopefully it’s doing something for my hair as well. The Vitamin E is a given because it’s known for being good for the skin. I usually try to take my multi-vitamin on its own and then the other supplements together at another time during the day. Both times are with a meal. I also started drinking Green Tea for the antioxidants and increased my daily water intake.

With the Colorado climate being especially dry right now, I hope that this regimen will get me through the winter without having anymore problems. For now, I’m using shea butter to moisturize my skin and staying away from heavy oils on my scalp to avoid build-up. I’ve also started doing more finger detangling instead of using a tool to get rid of shed hairs.

NOTE: As with anything health related be sure and speak with a physician when considering adding vitamins and supplements to your daily routine

Jumbo Rake Comb Review

Posted on by Michelle

When I was talkin’ hair with my mother a couple of months ago she showed me a picture of a comb that she was interested in trying. She checked out a copy of the book, “The Science of Black Hair” from the library and it listed a “rake” comb as a suggestion for detangling natural hair. I remembered seeing the comb online (probably in a Youtube video) but didn’t exactly know where to track one down. Recently however, I was at the Big Beauty Supply Store in Aurora, and noticed some for sale. It was by the Annie brand and was called a “Jumbo Rake Comb”. I figured I would grab it for my mom so she wouldn’t have to keep looking for it. I thought that maybe I would give it a try too and since they were only $1.49 plus tax (USD) I bought two.

Jumbo Rake Comb for only
$1.49 plus tax!

I didn’t really know what to use the comb for because I already felt like I had every comb that I needed. I decided to use it one night when I was twisting my hair up after wearing it in a wash n’ go style. I was surprised at how well the comb detangled my hair. It’s almost like the front end helped to pull apart the tangles but the spacing toward the back end of the comb allowed my hair to glide right through. When I saw this I decided to try it the next time I detangled my hair in the shower.

My normal routine for detangling is to do it while my hair is soaking wet and saturated with Tresemme Naturals conditioner. I usually begin by finger combing my hair first which helps me to remove a lot of the shed hair and tangles before moving onto a comb or my denman brush. So when I tried the Jumbo Rake comb my hair was already free from any major tangles. Still, I knew that I would be doing a roller set that night so I needed to make sure my hair was thoroughly detangled beforehand.

My twists
used the rake comb
to detangle

CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

USERNAME: Mitchellzee

Once again, the comb performed beautifully. I was really surprised because I didn’t expect for it to be any different from my wide tooth comb. Somehow though having the teeth closer together toward the front and wider in back is what I think makes it a more effective tool for detangling. It really is able to pick apart at the tangles but the hair glides through. You’d have to try it to see what I mean. As for me, I do think that I’ll be using this instead of my denman brush because it removed shed hairs but not so many to cause concern.

My Mom’s hair sectioned and detangled with
the rake comb

I even tried it a week later when I was straightening my mom’s hair. She is transitioning to natural and has about two inches of new growth. I applied Paul Mitchell’s The Conditioner and a heat protectant to each section of her hair and then detangled with the rake comb. Her hair was only damp but the comb still did a pretty good job.

I give it a thumbs up and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good comb for detangling.

Twistout Using Curls Unleashed Curl Defining Creme

Posted on by Michelle

I normally do braidouts when I want stretched hair because I know I’ll get consistent results. The same is not true when I do twistouts. Sometimes when I take the twists down, my hair is fuzzy and puffy before I even leave the house. Other times I have trouble getting the twists to stay so the end result looks messy and not as defined as I would like.

This time I decided to use something to give the twists some hold and definition. I reached for my Eco Styler gel (a staple) but thought maybe I should give the Curls Unleashed Curl Defining Creme a try. The only other time that I used it was to do a wash n’ go style on wet hair. I had really good results with it then but since I’ve been back to using my Eco gel I haven’t had much
use for it.

WATCH MY VIDEO ON HOW I DID A WASH N’ GO USING

CURLS UNLEASHED CURL DEFINING CREME

Small Grey Rods are great
for a spiral curl on the ends

For this twistout I started with clean hair. First I applied my Paul Mitchell The Conditioner leave-in along with the Hollywood Beauty Olive Creme moisturizer. I wanted to make sure that there was plenty of moisture under the Curls Unleashed product because I remember it having a firm hold. I applied the Curl Defining Creme on top of the other two products and started doing two strand twists in medium size sections. At the front I did flat twists on either side of my middle part and for my bangs. Once all of the twists were done, I used small grey perm rods to spiral curl the ends. I always use end papers for this step because I don’t want any of the ends to slip off of the rod while I’m sleeping.

When I woke early the next day, my hair was still damp so I decided to let it air dry completely rather than sit under the dryer. The resulting twistout was so soft and defined I almost didn’t believe it. The thing I liked most was that even after fluffing and styling my hair there wasn’t any frizz. I like big hair and usually lose some definition when I separate and fluff. I think I’m going to continue to

use this product when I want a nice twistout. For now here are pics of my first try.

Curly Twistout results with a Satin Scarf for a headband

Before I separated the sections

After fluffing and separating

My No Heat Blow Out

Posted on by Michelle

I’ve been straightening my natural hair nearly once each month ever since I went natural over three years ago. I used to blowdry my hair every time but found that it made my straight hair feel dry. I also felt like using two heat styling tools in one session was too much heat for my hair. I decided to start using another method to dry my hair before using the flat iron while stretching it at the same time.

Air Drying
Basically, I let my hair air dry which takes longer but works great for me because my hair actually absorbs the product better. My favorite method is to use ponytails with the ends two strand twisted. This way the roots lay flatter and the hair dries in a smooth wavy pattern. You can also use braids but I found that the twists dry quicker and serve the same purpose; stretch the hair while it dries. Another favorite is to pull all of my hair back into a bun with the front and sides slicked back. I’ll wear this as a style for a whole day and then at night, part it down the middle and do two french braids to help dry the center.

Brush it Out

Air drying overnight using ponytails with
two strand twists

The final step of the process is to take down the twists or braids and brush the hair out. I like to use a paddle brush but a wide tooth comb also works. I realize it’s considered a no-no to do this on dry hair but this is possible because of the products I use. While my hair is still damp, I always apply a creamy leave-in conditioner, oil and a hair serum on each section. This makes my hair soft enough to comb through once it is dry.

The Result
When my hair is dry and brushed out, it still looks just as big and stretched as a blowout. It amazes me that so many naturals grab the blow dryer whenever they want to have stretched hair. Sure the blowdryer is faster but why risk the damage? Since I discovered how to do this it has become the method I use to stretch my hair everytime I want to straighten it or see some length.

I use a Creamy Leave-in Conditioner and Hair Serum
for dry hair soft enough to brush through

Wearing a bun all day gets the edges smooth
while drying

DIY Length Check Tee Shirt

Posted on by Michelle

Lovin’ my new DIY Length Check Tee Shirt

I’ve been thinking to myself lately that I would like to see how long I can grow my hair in the next six months. This would mean a little restraint on my part because I would have to put the scissors down for once. I have been trimming periodically throughout the year including the mini big chop I did on my bangs. I think I’m finally ready to see how long my hair can get if I just leave it alone and let it grow.

To keep track of my progress I decided to put pen to tee shirt. I purchased a white tee from one of my favorite thrift stores last year but didn’t try it on before purchasing it. When I got it home I realized that it was too snug for me to wear out so it has been in the drawer ever since. I figured the tight fit actually made it a good choice for a length check shirt so I got it out.

I just used a Sharpie marker and large craft ruler to make lines one inch apart. I think it would have turned out neater if I used a thinner marker but it should still work just fine.

As of right now I don’t intend on growing my hair to anything past MBL (mid back length). I hear all the time how people want waist length hair but that just doesn’t appeal to me. I keep thinking that would be way too much hair to deal with. Honestly, I would even be happy with BSL (bra strap length). At least with the tee shirt I’ll be able to see my progress in inches rather than by points on my body.

Here’s how I did it